Otters are known as one of the cutest animals, but are also extremely intelligent. In this episode, Alex teaches you all about these social creatures and how important they are to the ecosystem. So, grab a change of clothes because were heading into the semi-aquatic world of otters.
Dive into the enchanting world of otters with our carefully crafted Montessori printables designed to spark curiosity and deepen understanding among young learners. Our extensive collection features engaging types of […]
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I found this incredible Human Body FREE homeschool science curriculum over at Guest Hollow. She includes detailed lesson plans and uses a hand on approach with Living Books. This is our "ideal" curriculum. And I love the price! FREE! There are actually 3 different curriculum's for different ages in
This week's comic goes out to all of nature's cute critters that we love and adore and want to take home with us. Still, most animals are better off in their natural habitats. It's better for us to love and appreciate them for what they are—wild animals. You can see wild river otters around Washington state. Try spotting them from a high lookout (like a bridge or the top of a hill) near their feeding areas. Learn more about river otters and how to live with them if you find them as your neighbors (hint: don't let them den under your porch). If you see an otter (or other wildlife) that looks like it might need help, contact PAWS.
Have fun with this wonderful free printable otter themed coloring page for kids to enjoy that includes a fun fact at the top of the page. The great thing
I have a confession to make. Shhhh... don't tell my kids, but I really don't like geology. Really. I know it's kind of hard to believe as I share science activities all the time, but I much prefer any kind of life science. In fact, geology was the one college class I almost failed. I'm
Zoologic I like games like Zoologic - one-person logic puzzles that help develop visual perceptual skills, introduce problem solving naturally, have lots of puzzles that increase in difficulty as you go, and that keep kids engaged. I also like them because kids get to see that making errors is part of the process (trial and error) and not a negative thing or a reason to give up. While working the puzzles, you are a zookeeper trying to avoid chaos among the animals. To do this no animal can ever be placed next to a rival, no animal can be placed next to his favorite food, and each piece placed must be adjacent to at least one other piece (sharing a common side). The puzzle book is large, spiral bound, easy to read, and has 60 puzzles. The base to this game is hollow, thin plastic, the kind you can bend and that will crack or break. The good thing is that you don't need the base. It is just meant to hold the puzzle book and the tiles, but you can just place the tiles flat on the table or on top of the puzzle on the book as you solve it. We just played on top of the book. Each page of the puzzle book shows one puzzle. The puzzle is started for you on the left and the pieces you will need to add to it are on the right. Here is a picture of puzzle #12 and the solution. Left: The puzzle page. Right: The solution page with the solution for this puzzle circled. Your job is to place the tiles on top of the puzzle squares following the zoo rules. The same rules always apply to all puzzles. There are several that you have to keep in mind, and remembering may be where some will run into trouble. The initial zoo rules are: A cat cannot be placed adjacent to a mouse, a dog or a fish. A dog cannot be placed adjacent to a cat or a bone. An angry dog cannot be placed beside any other dog. A mouse cannot be placed adjacent to a cat or a piece of cheese. As the puzzles get harder, these additional rules will be added that will block you from placing tiles on specific squares: No food can be placed on top of ants. No animal can be placed on top of the raging bull. Dogs, cats, mice, ants, fish - these sound more like pets than zoo animals. (Didn't you ever have an ant farm?) Here is a picture of puzzle #60, the hardest puzzle in the book, to give you an idea where it maxes out. If you would like to read more about one-person logic puzzles, check out my post What's in Your Therapy Box? Logic Puzzles Edition. Try this: Work a puzzle with the beginner or as he watches. Problem solve out loud so that he can learn how to apply logic. Then remove the pieces and ask the individual to solve it. Write the rules on a white board or paper and keep it near the game for easy reference. Hand the individual a piece that you know there is enough information to place correctly. Start eliminating where it couldn't go and identifying where it could until you have narrowed down the spot. Don't let a mistake be made by a beginner that is not corrected right away. Ask the individual to tell you why that is the wrong spot for that piece, giving a chance to reinforce the rules, and take it off. As the player advances, he will be able to identify his own mistakes. Early on it will just throw off the whole puzzle and discourage if you let the player keep building on an incorrect piece. Place the tiles on the table so that they are not in the correct orientations. Ask the player to turn each piece in-hand to correct as he picks it up. Work on spatial relations, visual closure, visualization, logic, problem solving, manual dexterity, in-hand manipulation, executive functioning skills, process skills, frustration tolerance, play and leisure exploration and participation In the box: Plastic game base, 17 wooden animal and food tiles, puzzle book with 60 puzzles, booklet with rules, clues and solutions If you are interested in purchasing this item or just want more information, click on the image below.
Whether you are a brand new or seasoned homeschool mom, this is the place for you! Join the Free Resource Library! Want a jumpstart to help you create a happy and organized homeschool? Join the Reluctant Homeschool Mama's FREE Resource Library! Solar System Unit Study Pages Geology Unit Study Pages Summer Reading Tracker Book Report Form Learning Styles Assessment Field Trip Review Growth Mindset Bookmarks Unit Study Planner Parent/Child Interview All About Me Page Click here to get access! Join hundreds of other homeschool moms and choose from these awesome free printables (and over 90+ others!) to help you with
Positional Word Resource Box What a fun, kid-friendly way to engage spatial thinking. The pieces are kid-sized, colorful, common place objects that are easy to handle. The instructions are one-step and most can relate to putting a duck in a swimming pool or a teddy bear in a toy box. The bear and car are stuffed and made from a tricot material. The pool, frog, bridge, lily pad, and toy box are vinyl. The instruction cards are large and plastic coated. There is one direction on the front of each card and the answer is on the back of the card. However, some of the instructions may have more than one answer. For instance, putting an object 'next to' or 'beside' an object can mean a number of different things, as the object could end up in front of, behind, to the right of, to the left of, etc. If I think seeing the back will confuse the child, or the child chooses a position that is not pictured on the back, I don't show it. The bear is BESIDE the toy box but does not match the answer on the back of the card. Overall I like this activity a lot and consider it a good investment. Most Lakeshore Learning products are a little pricey, but they offer items that you can't find elsewhere, and they often just hit the mark of what I am trying to teach. Plus they are typically well constructed and made to last. Try this: Turn the card to the answer side and cover the sentence at the bottom. Ask the child to tell you the positions, such as the duck is in the pool. Let the child play and tell you the positions as he goes, such as the teddy bear and the car are in the toy box or the car drove off the bridge and into the swimming pool. Hide the animals around the room and describe the position of each one as you find it, such as the duck is under the couch and the frog is on the chair. Make up 2-step directions and play them out, such as the frog jumped off the lily pad and jumped into the swimming pool. Hide the items around the room and give the individual instructions for finding them, such as the frog is under the desk. Give the child one toy and ask him to place the item in the room as you give directions. Example: The duck is next to the TV, or the duck is behind the couch, etc. Place the toy box, lily pad, bridge, and pool on the table. Place the bear, duck, car, and frog in front of the child. Ask questions and then have the child set up the scene and give you a verbal answer. Example: You ask "What is in the toy box?" The child chooses any piece(s) and places it in the toy box and then answers your question using a complete statement to practice using the terminology. Show the card and read the direction. Hide the card and see if the child can remember and follow the direction. Practice saying the direction out loud several times to reinforce the information if the individual struggles to remember. Set the pieces up so that they are partially hidden and then ask "Where is the ____." Work on spatial relations, visual discrimination, visual memory, visual closure, manual dexterity, following directions, executive functioning skills, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation In the box: frog and lily pad, bear and toy box, duck and swimming pool, bridge and car, 6 instruction cards for each of the 4 sets (24 cards total) Ages 3-6, 1 player
Eine kleine Anregung für den Sportunterricht. Die Kinder bekommen im Homeschooling das Blatt zugesendet und können ihren Namen oder Nachnamen turnen.
Opinion Writing - Otter's Opinion Craftivity! Students will love designing their own otter craftivity! Great for all primary ages! Works well with writing unit on opinion writing and using supportive reasoning! Prompt encourages to use three reasons to support their opinion as well as ending with a conclusion. Common Core Aligned - CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.1 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.1Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information _______________________________________________________________ This Product Contains: -cutouts for eyes, nose, ears, head, front paws, back paws, tail, seashell, waves, seaweed -cutout for writing prompt - "Otter Opinion - Reason 1 - Reason 2 - Reason 3 - Conclusion" -directions and how to cut, glue, and assemble Thanks for downloading! Don't forget to rate - It gives you credit toward your next TpT purchase ***NEW - This product is part of the SUPER WRITERS BUNDLE! Check it out!
As promised here are some ideas for my favorite book to read at the start of school to reinforce character education and how to treat others... Do Unto Otters by Laurie Keller. Anyone who knows me can tell you that otters are my favorite animal. They have been ever since I was little growing up in Missouri visiting the St. Louis zoo. I could stand and watch that cute, playful river otter for hours. And we had a family friend who worked at the zoo, so I knew that otter's name was Emmitt. Then as I competed in gymnastics, my good luck charm that I took to every meet was a stuffed otter named (what else) Emmitt. Even now, when I recently ordered a Melonhead from Melonheadz Illustrating, I asked her to add in an otter. After laughing, she did a phenomenal job, don't you think? So, of course, I was going to gravitate toward a book with an otter pun as the title! And after reading the book, I was hooked. What a cute and clever storyline! Mr. Rabbit is worried because he has new neighbors, and they are otters. Mr. Rabbit knows nothing about otters and is terrified that they will be bad neighbors. So, Mr. Owl teaches Mr. Rabbit about The Golden Rule. Students love when I read this book... probably because I am one of those wacky teachers who uses silly voices and makes faces while I read. I also use lots of hand gestures. I've been know to pull a muscle when reading. Ha! But because the students love it so much, it becomes part of my classroom management. When a conflict arises, often I simply ask, "Did you do unto otters?" And that can open the discussion of what happened and what different choices could be made the next time. "Do Unto Otters" becomes my classroom mantra. When I read any book, I always start with a little pre-reading prior knowledge activation. I show the cover and ask for predictions of what the book is about and why they think that. I ask what they know about treating others. And sometimes I even use a graphic organizer such as a Bubble Map or a KWL Chart. During reading, I reinforce what is said, pointing out some things they may not notice in the pictures and text. We can also clarify any unknown vocabulary words to assist with comprehension. After reading we discuss what we just read, relating it to other things they know, they have read, or they have done (Text-to-World, Text-to-Text, and Text-to-Self connections). Then you can have the students do some sort of comprehension reinforcing activity. I created a free packet to use with this book. It has six activity suggestions, although there are so many more you could choose. And I created reproducibles for five of those activities. One is a simple reader's response of recalling how I want others to treat me and how I want to treat others. This one is my favorite. It is a writing prompt for students to write times in their life when they showed "otterly" good manners. As a fun added bonus, you can cut out 2 1/2" circles of students faces to glue on the otter body. I know! Cute, right? The Remember a Time When Sheet helps reinforce the vocabulary in the book and also encourages students to remember when they showed those good manners. Also in the packet is a blank Venn diagram and suggestions of things for the students to compare and contrast. And there is a blank poster template for students to create a poster showing one of the manners demonstrated in the book. You can hang those posters in the hall to show your class follows the Golden Rule. So, get reading to help your students learn good manners.
Spot It! Five games in one, lots of themes, no wiating - everybody plays. Lots to like! Spot It! is my favorite card game for several reasons: the rules are simple, a game only takes 5-10 minutes to play, there are five different ways to play, it comes in a variety of themes, everyone plays on every turn - no down time, and you can work on several skills at the same time. Whew! There are eight items on each card (except the junior version which has only six). Between any two cards there is one, and only one, match. The goal is simply to find the match and be the first one to call it out. The items are in different orientations and may be different sizes, but never differ in color. Here are the original five games: The Tower - To win, collect the most cards by the end of the game. One card is dealt face down to each player. The rest of the cards are put in a face-up deck within everyone's reach. Everyone plays at the same time to see who can be the first to find a match between his card and the card on the top of the deck. The first person to call out his match takes the top card and adds it to the top of his personal pile. All players immediately start looking for the match between their card and the new top card on the deck in the middle. Play continues until all cards from the deck on the table have been collected. The Well - Be the first to get rid of all your cards to win. Put one card face up within reach of all players. Deal the rest of the deck evenly and face-down to all players. At the same time, all players flip their card pile face-up and quickly look for the match between their top card and the card on the table. The first to call out his match gets to lay his card on the pile on the table. Everyone immediately starts looking for the match between their top card and the new top card on the table. Play continues in this manner until someone runs out of cards and wins the game. Hot Potato - Have the least amount of cards after all the rounds have been played to win. Evenly deal all cards between players, face-down in their palms. To start, all players turn their cards face up at the same time and look for a match between their card and anyone else's top card. Once you find a match, add your card, face-up, to the pile in their palm. This is their new top card. The game continues until only one person has cards in his palm. He counts his cards and that is his score. Play several rounds and the winner is the person who has the lowest score. The Poisoned Gift - Have the least number of cards at the end of the game to win. Deal one card to each player, face down. Put the remainder of the deck in the middle, face-up. All players turn their card face-up at the same time and start looking for a match between the card in the middle and any other player. Once you see a match, call it out and put the card from the middle onto that player's pile. That now becomes his top card. Keep playing until the stack of cards from the middle is gone. Triplet - Collect the most cards by the end of the game to win. Lay nine cards (3 X 3) face-up on the table. Everyone looks for three of one item within those nine cards. First to find a match calls out the item and takes the three cards. Three new cards are added in those spots. Keep playing until there are less than nine cards left or no more sets of three. Other Spot It! games I have blogged about: Spot It! Fire and Ice (comes with a timer for more games) Spot It! Freeze (comes with a timer for more games) Spot It! Junior (six objects per card instead of eight, simple themes) Spot It! Splash (plastic cards, play in the water) Spot It! Holiday - Christmas fun. Try this: Start by showing the individual each image in the instruction guide and make sure that he recognizes or learns what to call each item. It would be an unfair disadvantage if he found the match but didn't know what it was so couldn't call it. I let kids use different words, like palm or tree would each be acceptable. However, if you get a movie theme game, like Frozen, you would need to know the names. Or, you could just say something like "one, two" while pointing to them. Play with non-verbal individuals and point to the match on one of the cards instead of calling it out. Start by making it a simple matching game to teach the object to beginners. Put two cards side by side on the table and find the match. If the individual has trouble, turn the cards so the items are in close proximity to each other and easier to spot. Go through the deck this way before playing a game. Ask the person to hold the stack in the non-dominant hand throughout the game. Push each card off the top with the thumb to play. Lay several cards in front of you on the table and call out an object on the cards. Count how many times that object appears on those cards. Lay two cards side-by-side on the table. Everyone looks. The first to find the match gets the cards. Play till all cards are gone. Take turns finding matches if playing for speed is not desired. Stack the pile of cards in front of each player. Lift each top card off the pile without tipping the pile over or sliding unwanted cards off. Work on figure ground, visual discrimination, visual form constancy, spatial relations, visual scanning, manual dexterity, in-hand manipulation, coordinated use of both hands, processing speed, sustained attention, shuffling and dealing cards, socialization skills, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation In the tin: 54 cards and instructions for 4 games Ages 7+, 2-6 players If you are interested in purchasing this game or just want more information, click on the image below.
‘Do Unto Otters‘ by Laurie Keller is one of my all-time favorite back-to-school books! It is perfect for helping to create a caring, empathetic classroom. It's a delightful story of Mr. Rabbit, who worried (perhaps terrified) about his new neighbors who just moved into his woods – the otters! Fortunately, he has a wise owl […]
Are you hoping to study biology or life science next year with your homeschooler? Kids are naturally curious, and you don't have to do much to encourage them to learn about the world around them.
Learning about marine mammals, or sea mammals, is important for understanding the impact they play in marine ecosystems. Marine mammals are quite amazing because they are similar to land mammals, but have adapted to aquatic life in order to survive... #animalreporsts #deepseaoceanunit #lifescience
We were working hard on our Mother’s Day gifts this week! 1. We made these Mason jar vases. To make them I had the kids glue tissue squares all along the inside of the jars. I painted the kids’ hands with white acrylic paint and had them put their hand gently against the jar. The ... Read More about Mother’s Day Crafts
Free, Printable Set of 20 Montessori-Inspired Cards for Learning About Famous Ancient Greeks such as Homer, Draco, Socrates, Aristotle, and Alexander the Great
This week in first grade we read Laurie Keller's Do Unto Otters. This book introduces the concept of the golden rule to students in a fun way with colorful characters. In the story, Mr. Rabbit is confront with some new neighbors moving in - OTTERS! He is not sure how they will treat him, so Mr. Owl asks him how he'd like to be treated. Afterward, we discussed the idea that the way we treat others is how they treat us back. We added ideas to a chart to think about how we want others to treat us and how we will treat others. Finally, students illustrated their ideas and drew colorful pictures to reinforce the golden rule.
Back to school read aloud favorite - Do Unto Otters. Teaching tips and ideas of an interactive read aloud of this engaging story.
Opinion Writing - Otter's Opinion Craftivity! Students will love designing their own otter craftivity! Great for all primary ages! Works well with writing unit on opinion writing and using supportive reasoning! Prompt encourages to use three reasons to support their opinion as well as ending with a conclusion. Common Core Aligned - CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.1 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.1Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information _______________________________________________________________ This Product Contains: -cutouts for eyes, nose, ears, head, front paws, back paws, tail, seashell, waves, seaweed -cutout for writing prompt - "Otter Opinion - Reason 1 - Reason 2 - Reason 3 - Conclusion" -directions and how to cut, glue, and assemble Thanks for downloading!
At GuestHollow.com you can download this complete Christian High School Biology Curriculum for FREE! It is built off of a FREE Biology curriculum called CK-12 Biology.
It's hard to believe that we are nearly at the beginning of another school year already! Our 2021/2022 homeschool preschool unit studies will cover everything that Bitty is most curious about!
klankgroepen bewegend leren: verdubbelaar en klinkerdief oefen je auditief: de klankgroepenrun. Bewegend leren spelling is leuk!
Who doesn't love otters? If you have seen them lying on their backs holding hands, you can hardly fail to find them cute! But of course there is much more to otters than cuteness, and here you can learn about them and enjoy our printable activities with the kids too. Learn about Otters Otters love fish - but they will also eat frogs and crabs, small water birds and other small mammals. You will find them by rivers, lakes and seas. They are excellent swimmers, with webbed feet and powerful tails, and their thick fur keeps them warm. They can close their eyes and their nose when underwater. World Otter Day is 30th May! That's a good excuse to find out more about these interesting creatures... There are many different species of otter found around the world, including the sea otter (found on the Pacific coast of North America) and the giant otter (found mainly in South America), which can grow to up to 1.8m (just under 6ft). Otters are quite charming to watch, playing and frolicking and falling asleep on their backs, even holding hands, as they float. I was lucky enough to see some sea otters doing just that at the Monterey Bay Acquarium in California! They have a sea otter web cam so you might be able to see something like that too. Otters were nearly wiped out in the UK in the 20th century, but conservation projects and cleaning up rivers has helped and they are now on the increase again. They live in underground burrows (known as holts) where they raise their cubs (or pups), who will be fine swimmers by 10 weeks old. Fun Fact: A group of otters can be known as a bevy, a family, a lodge or a romp! Our Otter Activities
Mental Blox - 40 pattern cards that increase in difficulty as you go. I love any activity with pattern cards that requires building 3D models from 2D models, especially when they advance in difficulty. Mental Blox includes 40 puzzles that do just that. The cards are printed with a different puzzle on each side and are numbered 1-40 for difficulty. The pieces are made of hard, hollow plastic and are big enough that they may take two hands to turn (see image below for size). The ball shape has two small flat spots on opposite ends so it will sit flat and you can stack on it. The blocks have stripes that can run horizontal or vertical, and the X can be placed in a variety of positions. The pyramid can also be placed in more than one orientation. Requires release with a steady hand to stack three or four. First challenge and last challenge. Try this: Introduce the blocks and give the individual a chance to play with them and practice stacking the different shapes before giving a pattern card. Place several cards on the table and ask the individual to point to all blue balls, or all purple blocks (squares) to practice shape terminology and/or color. Cover everything but the stack the individual is working on if he has trouble looking at the card and finding his place. Cover the puzzle and reveal only one block at a time if the individual has trouble starting from the bottom and working up. Build the model by rows (cross midline), then build the model by columns. Set the needed piece or pieces next to the individual if you want the individual to just concentrate on one area, such as stacking and releasing. Point to each piece on the card if the individual needs help seeing which piece to find and place next. Or let the individual point to each piece before placing it. Use consistent positional and shape terminology. Build a model and then lay cards in front of the individual, one of them being the model you followed. Can he choose the correct card to match the model? Build a model from a card and make an error. Can the individual spot it and fix it? Take the blocks down, one by one, after building, without toppling other blocks. Stack the highest tower you can make. Leave all the blocks in the box and let the individual find each piece he needs in the crowded box. Skip the cards. Build two towers. Pick up one block in each hand and place them simultaneously on the two different towers. Stack as high as you can. Work on visual discrimination, spatial relations/position in space, visual closure, visual form constancy, figure ground, eye-hand coordination, balance, shoulder stability, manual dexterity, graded release, coordinated use of two hands, crossing midline, executive functioning skills, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation In the box: 20 blocks, 20 double-sided pattern cards (40 patterns total) If you are interested in purchasing this item or just want more information, click on the image below.
This 1st grade homeschool schedule has made our homeschool year a breeze! I'm so happy with the results of planning like this.
‘Do Unto Otters‘ by Laurie Keller is one of my all-time favorite back-to-school books! It is perfect for helping to create a caring, empathetic classroom. It's a delightful story of Mr. Rabbit, who worried (perhaps terrified) about his new neighbors who just moved into his woods – the otters! Fortunately, he has a wise owl […]
Although homeschooling in Québec is absolutely legal, it is also the most regulated province in Canada. Follow these steps to help you get started.
